Samy Vellu may quit soon, but not before killing two birds

By JK Jayan

COMMENT MIC is once again abuzz with speculation that its president of three decades S Samy Vellu would be vacating his post by the end of the year and an announcement on this would be made on Dec 18. This is the date set for the launching of Samy Vellu's biography which is supposedly being penned by a prominent writer from Tamil Nadu.

It is said that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would be launching the book and it is here that Samy Vellu is expected to announce his retirement either on Dec 31 or Jan 15 next year.

A grand farewell dinner is also scheduled to be held on the same day and would be attended by MIC’s rank and file.

However, the president's recent moves has left many in MIC puzzled.

He has already announced the formation of 2,000 branches to strengthen the party in view of the forthcoming general election expected to take place within the next one to two years.

In his last public announcement about his retirement, he vehemently denied leaving soon, confirming once again that he would stick to his plan to step down in September 2011.

Over the last few days, he had been organising party meetings where all branch chairmen were summoned but there were no announcements regarding his retirement.

A snap presidential election?

These moves point to two possibilities: Either he is shoring up support among the faithful to continue remaining at the helm or he is preparing to hold a presidential election to elect the next leader.

The first possibility is a little far-fetched since it is clear that the Barisan Nasional would not want to face another general election with Samy Vellu helming MIC.

The second possibility is more likely since it is rumoured that ties between Samy Vellu and his annointed successor G Palanivel have become strained.

The branch chairmen, who would vote in the presidential election, could have been summoned in order for Samy Vellu to indicate that a different leader should be chosen.

MIC sources said that Samy Vellu’s decision to put a weak leader like Palanivel as number two was to ensure that the latter would always remain loyal, while the president exerted his power and consolidated his grip on the party and its valuable assets, namely MIED and Aimst University.

However, the outcome of the 2008 general election and the emergence of pressure groups like Gerakan Anti Samy Vellu (GAS) have thrown a spanner into the works.

Should Palanivel take over now, he might steer the party away from Samy Vellu in order to win back Indian support.

Friction over MIED suit

Sources revealed that Samy Vellu is also disappointed with Palanivel for hiring his own lawyers to defend him (Palanivel) in his capacity as MIED director in relation to the suit brought by former MIC Youth leader SA Vigneswaran against all the directors and trustees of MIED for allegedly mismanaging the trust corporation.

Another director KS Nijhar is also said to have indicated that he would employ his own lawyers.

This is despite Samy Vellu having stated his preference that MIED lawyers represent all the directors.

It is believed that Samy Vellu might be placed in an disadvantageous position if the directors filed separate defences and affidavits since most of the decisions concerning MIED were made by the president single-handedly.
Upset with such developments, sources said the president might consider bringing another, more loyal man, to sit as his heir apparent and the grapevine points at Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

His Cabinet position and the fact that he is well-received by delegates across the board could see him clinch the the number two slot with relative ease.

Mission 'Kill Subra'

Apart from this, Samy Vellu is also said to be concerned that if he steps down now and let Palanivel become acting president, it could pave the way for his nemesis S Subramaniam's return.

The former deputy president might align himself with the anti-Samy Vellu and anti-Palanivel forces within MIC to come back to power again. This would not be easy, but it is not entirely impossible.

There is also a likelihood that Palanivel might extend an olive branch to Subramaniam and bring him back into the fold since the latter still commands strong support.

So Samy Vellu wants to his finish his political rival once and for all before stepping down, and one way to do this is to call for a presidential election while he is still in power so that he could ensure that Subramaniam never makes it as the next president.

By calling for a snap presidential election, Samy Vellu would kill two birds with one stone, vanquishing his arch rival and installing a leader of his choice.

There are differing views whether the MIC constitution allows for such a contest, and when the question was put forth to a lawyer aligned the president, he said: “The constitution is clear that a presidential poll can be held at any time three months before the expiry of the term of president.”

“The CWC (central working committee) will have to endorse the decision and I don’t see anyone including Palanivel of having the political muscle to assemble the majority of CWC members against Samy Vellu to overthrow such an endorsement.

“Almost 10 of them serve in the CWC because of their appointments by Samy Vellu. So it will not be difficult for Samy Vellu to get such an endorsement,” he added.

The lawyer also pointed out that once the CWC makes a decision, the Societies Act forbids any quarters from challenging it in court.

“So your only recourse is the Registrar of Societies who might not be able to find a favourable clause in the constitution not to call for a presidential election.

“Also remember, even if the registrar finds one, his decision can still be challenged by disgruntled parties in court and thus dragging the matter for months,” he said.

“This will give additional room for Samy Vellu to continue. Above all, the 4,000-odd MIC branch chairmen seem to be excited in favour of a presidential election since it will put the power back into their hands to elect a leader of their choice democratically.

“In the final count, it is all in the hands of Samy Vellu what he wants to do,” he added.

courtesy of FMT